Aga Khan varsity to boost EA jobs

Arusha. Some eleven kilometres out of Arusha on the Dodoma road, a major project is set to take off. It is expected to take the status of the country’s tourism to the next level and assert the East African Community capital as the higher education hub for the region.

Once an agricultural land with coffee plantations and a wheat farm, the area would soon be transformed into the largest campus in East Africa for the Aga Khan University (AKU), whose presence in the region dates back to 110 years ago.

Firoz Rasul, the AKU president is one of the senior officials of the Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) officials who are optimistic about the project as seen during his recent visit to Arusha.

“This project will make Arusha the intellectual centre of the region. We intend to establish a campus that will produce quality graduates who will add to the country’s human resources, create wealth and develop the country and region,” he said.

He said together with the recently opened Nelson Mandela African Institute for Science and Technology (NM-AIST), the two universities would play a vital role in fostering quality education in the EA region.

Speaking during the official opening of the Aga Khan Health Centre in Arusha, Mr Rasul said; “Our vision at AKU is to create a unique regional university serving all countries of the East African Community (EAC).”

The official added: “ Our purpose is to contribute to the intellectual development of the region through offering international standard education in East Africa.

The type of education envisaged is the one that would address problems and challenges facing the region”.

According to him, AKU presence in East Africa dates back to over 110 years ago with the establishment of its first school in Bagamoyo, then the capital of Deutsche Ostafrika at the advent of the colonial rule.

Ever since, education has become a key component of AKDN, founded by His Highness the Aga Khan - the spiritual leader of the Ismaili Muslims with AKU establishing campuses in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

However, he stated that the university’s principal campus for East Africa will be in Arusha, the capital of the EAC.

“The campus will be a new community with a vibrant education centre that will nurture the region’s future intellectual capacity and leadership,” he said.

It will draw students from all over East Africa “to obtain a broad-based multi-disciplinary education,” he explained. The project, he further said, would involve the development of academic and research facilities.

The Arusha campus would contain the university’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS).

The FAS will offer undergraduate and graduate studies in merit-based and interdisciplinary educational programme in natural and social sciences as well as arts.

The campus will also house graduate professional schools in Law, Media and Communications, Tourism and Leisure, Management, Government and Public Policy, Architecture and Human Settlements and Economic Growth and Development.

But according to Mr Rasul, establishment of the campus would need a huge investment. AKU plans to invest over $ 1 billion to establish its campuses throughout the region over the next 20 years.

AKU’s expansion in Arusha alone will be an investment of over $ 750 million during the period. The $1 billion investment is projected to create more than 10,000 jobs to add to the current 2,000 already working for AKU in East Africa.

Actual implementation of the project would commence in the next two years with the construction, according to the director of Sites and Facilities Operations for the Arusha Campus Mr. Murad Jivan.

“We are working with the Arusha regional and district offices to improve the basic infrastructure such as roads, water management, community facilities and public amenities,” he told The Citizen in an

interview.

He added;” AKU itself has contributed over Sh. 600 million to this strategic initiative and I am happy to say that the Regional Commissioner will take the master plan to the next stage to its completion.”

The campus will seat on 3,200 acres of land that has been purchased at Kisongo area on the outskirts of Arusha, not very far from the airport. Built up area will be 1,600 acres, the others being floodplains, hills and eroded area.

For the structures to be put up on the campus, Mr Jivan explained, the planning and design teams were already working on the site; specifically on masterplanning and architectural designs for the first phase of the campus.

The official affirmed that the institution of higher learning envisaged for Arusha would be able to cultivate leaders and entrepreneurs “as a valuable partner in meeting the needs of the region.”

“Through quality education, our graduates will be equipped to assist in the development of the country and the region by addressing the existing problems and challenges,” he said, noting that training that will be offered is also aimed at curbing brain drain.

“Our purpose is to contribute to the intellectual development that would build research and development capacity and prevent the brain drain by providing professional opportunities equivalent to those they seek in the West,” he pointed out.

The official delved into details of the proposed campus in Arusha, noting that besides housing Faculty of Arts and Sciences, (FAS) it will have a tertiary teaching hospital and will support the Faculty of Health Sciences in Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.

Professional graduate programmes are also being planned and would be located in Nairobi and Arusha while admissions would be “on a needs blind and merit basis,” offering equal opportunity to low-income applicants.

Academic research programmes will be linked to business incubators adjacent to the campus, as well as development projects of the Aga Khan Development Network, the private sector, civil society and government.

“These linkages will enable pilot-testing of innovations that address poverty and conservation of resources, develop solutions in emerging technologies in information, agricultural productivity and value-addition to products and services,” he said.

The Network officials contend that the Arusha project represents the biggest expansion for AKU since the origin of its first campus in Karachi, Pakistan, over 25 years ago.

The project calls for the development of academic and research facilities, student residences and amenities, a library, student centre and auditorium, sports facilities and a hospital connected to the AKU Hospital in Nairobi for referral and training of interns and specialists.

Other facilities to be put up include an Aga Khan Academy, housing and amenities for senior faculty and staff. This translated into approximately one million square metres of development.

AKDN, which was founded by High Highness the Aga Khan, is a group of private, non-denominational development agencies working together to empower communities and individuals to improve living conditions and opportunities.

The Network’s nine development agencies focus on social, cultural and economic development for all citizens.

, regardless of gender, origin or religion with underlying passion for the under priviledged and vulnerable people in the society.

Its annual budget for philanthropic activity is in excess of $ 600m.